Curly Hair & Humidity: My Hair in Cuba

For those of you who aren’t CG aware, this post is going to have shocking little to do with me complaining about volume (which, to be honest, I absolutely love – volume is awesome!), and more to do with how little my hair texture changed while visiting a tropical climate.

Let’s rewind a little bit – the last time I went to a tropical climate was about 2 years ago, well before I discovered the Curly Girl Method and accepted Lorraine Massey as my goddess. My hair was typical – wild, barely controlled by my dips into the salt water, and no matter how humid it was, it still looked frizzy and dry. Yuck. No good. You can check out that hot mess (kind of) here:

Now, let’s flash forward. My most recent trip to Cuba took place after approximately a year of fairly strict Curly Girl Method (no silicones, no sulfates, only straightened it once [at which point I threw out my straightener]), and only a week after my first official curly dry cut. Not only did I notice the killer volume that I loved and coveted from previous humidity, but my little friend called definition. That’s right! Sure, it poofed a bit, but damn, those curls were tight! Although my hair was pretty grumpy by the end, due to the constant dips in the pool and the sea (sorry, curls, there was a poolside bar that needed taking advantage of), it was overall, a much less stressful trip, hair-wise. I used no gel, only leave in conditioner. Smoooooth.

Please excuse: the sweaty sheen, the goofy expression, and the sunburned nose.

So, tell me, what do you use to battle humidity? Or does your hair even react to those conditions? Share, share!